The Houston Astros handed the Mets their only series loss in the month of June. New York is now back under .500.
The whole month of June was indeed a fun one to watch for this New York Mets team. Part of their success in the last month was due to the positive vibes started by the McDonald’s character Grimace and UTL Jose Iglesias who started the “OMG”. Despite losing the series to Houston, New York has won six out of their last ten games, which is a respectable performance. But there are issues that the team needs to fix as they move on to their next series. One of the issues is the bullpen. They’re one of the reasons why New York dropped two out of three to Houston.
Jeff McNeil Finally Ends His Home Run Drought
It has been a rough year for 2B Jeff McNeil. But he did start to find his stride slowly in the month June. In Friday night’s 7-2 victory, McNeil hit his first homer of the month, which ended his drought. But he wasn’t alone in that inning. 1B Pete Alonso joined him as well in the inning to the extend the lead. It also marks the first time since May 2nd where New York would find themselves a game over .500 and had won four straight.
Before the Mets led into the game, they did get into some trouble. Early on, 2B Jose Altuve hit a leadoff home run, giving the Astros an early 1-0 lead. A few moments later the Astros had the bases loaded. The Mets would limit the damage after getting UTL Mauricio Dubon to fly out. The Mets responded back in the bottom of the inning. After back-to-back walks to SS Francisco Lindor and OF Brandon Nimmo, New York would tie up the game. Red-hot C Francisco Alvarez would drive in the tying run on a sac fly, bringing Lindor home.
The next run came in the third inning. OF Yordan Alvarez got the inning started on a line drive double to put the team in scoring position. Moments later, he would score on SS Jeremy Pena’s RBI single to make it 2-1. New York would not answer the call back until the bottom of the fourth. OF Tyrone Taylor would go deep the opposite way to would even up the score at two apiece. New York’s big run inning did not come until the sixth inning as mentioned earlier. But that big inning did not end the scoring for the team. Francisco Lindor drove the team’s final run of the night on an RBI double in the eighth inning, driving in Jeff McNeil.
Then there was the pitching. Jose Quintana did have a good start but not long enough to earn him the win. He did record seven strikeouts but had a lot of issues with three walks allowed. His command was not good, which explains why he left the game early. The bullpen did take of business along the way. RP Dedniel Nunez would get the win for himself.
Five-Run Inning Not Enough for the Win
Similar to Friday’s game, the Astros would score early in the second inning on a home run by OF Jake Myers, who’s been quietly red hot. The Mets would answer back in the bottom of the inning. After a walk to leadoff hitter Tyrone Taylor followed by a single by 3B Mark Vientos, the team would tie the score, Jose Iglesias would single off SP Framber Valdez, driving in Tyrone Taylor.
But the Mets were done yet doing damage. They would score four more times in the inning. CF Harrison Bader would give the Mets lead on an RBI single making it 2-1. Brandon Nimmo would join the hit parade moments later on an RBI double to extend New York’s lead. Pete Alonso later would cap off the Mets’ five-run inning on a two-run double.
The Mets would add another run in the bottom of the third. Mark Vientos would launch a solo home run to center field to make it 6-1. But Houston wasn’t done just yet. They did respond back with three runs the following inning. Jeremy Pena laced a two-run double, while 1B Jon Singleton would line an RBI single to cut New York’s lead within two. SP Tylor Megill’s day was done after five-and-one-third innings thrown.
The Mets bullpen would eventually make things worse. It all started in the top of the eighth inning. They would allow the Astros to come back and take the lead. It all started with a wild pitch thrown by RP Reed Garrett that would bring home Jake Myers. The lead was now within one. A few moments later, 3B Alex Bergman would deliver the go-ahead run on a two-run single making it 7-6. Houston would add insurance runs the next inning.
Late Inning Rally Not Enough
After trailing twice on Sunday, the Mets did start a rally, but it was not enough. After a long rain delay in extra innings, the Mets would surrender five runs to the Astros, who eventually escaped with a series win. SP Luis Severino pitched seven innings, but RP Matt Festa gave up five runs in the 11th inning in his season debut.
The game also marks the first time that Houston moves a game above .500. As for the Mets, this loss would mean that they would go back to being under .500.
Featured Articles
Featured Writers
